Weekend Review Chicago to Oak Park to Berwyn Part I

Part I: Friday, Chicago, May 20, 2011

So I drove into Chicago this past Friday morning to meet a writer friend at Union Station.  They have been in the states since Feb and was riding the train up from Southern Illinois to catch their flight from O’Hare, back to Germany.  Their train got in at 1 pm, their flight left at 1030 pm. 

We met and had lunch and just killed time really.  Not much to do in that time span that won’t have you fighting traffic, getting lost, or missing a flight; so we stayed in the general down town area.  We took a cab to the Hard Rock Café, then a cab to Poag Mahone’s, where we had a drink and some food (lil two bite baby cheeseburgers… I did ask for them well done, which to me means NO PINK, yet they were pink, but the Cosmopolitan made up for it… I guess).

My friend actually met a friend of a friend and his friends there and they chatted for a while.  Before long, it was time to hoof it back to the Union Station parking garage and head out to the airport.  I figured it was going to be about an hour drive, maybe 45 minutes from downtown to O’Hare and I was right.  Traffic was stop and go; and more stop and go.

I wasn’t even really sure what terminal or parking I would need.  I was going to drop my friend off in the departure area, but once we got close, I didn’t know what exit to really take, knew it was the International Terminal we needed, and it just seemed easier to park in short term parking and get her inside.  Besides, her bags were heavy and I wouldn’t have felt right just dropping off at a curb and saying see ya!

We went into terminal one and that was the wrong one.  We then took the train, yeah, the train that goes just around the airport, to terminal 5.  After getting my friend checked in and to the area where she’d go through security, I headed back down to terminal one and the parking lot.

From there, I made my way to my hotel for the night.  It was nice, quiet, and soon I was asleep.  My feet hurt from walking around all day.  I wore the cutest sandals, but they had no soles, so I might have been barefoot walking around Chicago all day. 

I had made the comment in an earlier post I think, that I loved the sound and sites of the big city.  I used to want to live in Chicago.  I decided after visiting it a few times that I was better off just visiting; I seem to appreciate it more.  I wouldn't mind living there if I could work there; but to work there and commute... uh no.  I don't think I could hack it.  

Part II TBC